A (somewhat) realistic love story
by totallynotnicole
Summary: **Can an Instagram follow request really change Tharp and Can's love life forever? Read this shitty fanfic usually written at 11 pm to find out.** My mystery friend who appears in this story wrote this; last names have been changed. May or may not be based on a true story. Ft: cursing, realistic fiction, and infrequent updates based on how quickly my friend writes.
1. Prologue

Annika Tharp stared in disbelief, slightly disoriented and rather perplexed.

She pinched herself.

It hurt.

Aaaaand the follow request was still there.

On her phone screen.

In front of her eyes.

She pinched herself again.

doug1as requested to follow you on Instagram

Still dazed, she unlocked her phone.

Then she opened Instagram.

Then she followed him.

Then she allowed him to follow her.

Then she dropped her phone on her bed.

Then she sat down on the bed, staring into nothing.

. . .

And then she starting shrieking at the top of her lungs while jumping around and up and down like some cocaine infused maniac.

It was just _very,_ _slightly_ terrifying.

Her mother burst into the room, eyes wide with terror.

"What is going on? Who is being murdered? Annika, why are you behaving like a chicken would with its head cut off? And what is that _God_ awful sound emitting from you?"

Annika didn't stop to explain.


	2. Chapter 1: Confrontation

"Megan! Maggie! _Ahhhh!_ "

The two girls stopped mid conversation and mid walk to turn around, only to find a wild eyed Annika hurtling down the hallway right toward them. Maggie threw up her arms in front of her face and cringed away.

"Pleasedon'trunmeover!" she squealed in fear. Megan was frozen, too daunted to do anything.

"Annika, I'm still young, _please,_ whatever I did to piss you off, let me live!" Megan shouted, snapping out of her stupor, grabbing Maggie, turning back around, and sprinting around the corner to escape the horror-I mean, Annika, who was still chasing after them.

"No! Wait! I have to tell you somethiiiiing!" she shrilled, wheeling around the corner and continuing the hunt-I mean . . . no, yeah, hunt describes it pretty well.

Except, well, she actually didn't keep on hunting.

Instead, she slammed face first into a 6'1", lean-muscled, smart-ass, _smoking hot_ Douglas Can.

 _Oh, wow, he smells wonderful,_ was the first thing Annika thought. _Wait, what? Agh, stop it, Annika! You creep!_ she scolded at herself internally. _Yeah, but . . . seriously, he smells really, really,_ really _good._

 _I wonder what body wash he uses._

 _And shampoo._

 _And conditioner._

Annika almost crashed onto the floor, when two steady, firm hands grabbed around her waist and righted her so that she didn't crack her head open.

"Woah, are you okay?" a quiet, expressive, melodious voice asked her concernedly.

"Oh, yeah, I'm . . . f-fine . . . ."

 _Oh my God._

 _Douglas. Can._

 _Is holding me around the waist._

 _Wait. Doesn't he go to Biotech?_

"Don't you go to Biotech?" she blurted out, staring into those dark mocha eyes. _God, it should be a_ sin _to look that good._ Suddenly a smirk bloomed on his lips.

"Thanks," he said, his quiet voice turning intoxicating to Annika's ears.

 _Oh . . ._ crap . . . please _don't tell me I said that out loud._

"You did," he offered helpfully. He finally released her from around the waist and stooped down to pick up her fallen books from the crash. Beneath long lashes, his eyes flicked up to meet hers, and they simmered with a muted emotion she couldn't read.

 _Love?_ a voice whispered in her head.

 _Or amusement at your idiocy and clumsiness,_ a more matter-of-fact voice piped in.

 _Shut up,_ she told the second one.

 _Oh, great, now I'm talking to voices in my head._

In one single, fluid, graceful motion that took Annika's breath away, Doug stood up and held the books in front of her, not breaking her gaze once.

"I think these are yours."

 _Yep, definitely a tinge of amusement there._

"Oh, yeah . . . ." she said sheepishly, taking them from him. Their fingertips brushed each others and little zings of electricity sparked up her arm and throughout her whole body. "Thanks. And sorry about bumping into you." Doug shrugged.

"It's fine. Yeah, my brother forgot something at home, so, my mom dropped it off and brought me with her. Yeah, I'm still going to Bio later, I just slept in."

Cue awkward silence. Extreme, prolonged, torturing awkward silence.

"Uh, but, why are you going through Satz to get out?" Annika asked with extreme observation. Doug shrugged.

"Visiting Barth, Ferraro, already visited Vallo. . . . Yeah . . . well, uh, bye….."

He nodded his chin at her in farewell, pushing up his glasses endearingly.

 _Well, he may be athletic, tall, sculpted by the Greek gods . . . but those glasses are killer_ , Annika thought dreamily. _Not to mention so cute…_

{author's note: **Okay, but like, we all know that Annika thinks that Doug is** _**so much more**_ **than "cute." Remember, he's** _ **smoking hot**_ **, guys. I mean, those camo pants and chiseled, god-like arms? And, hello? His obnoxiousness? *leans back in chair and hand-fans face. Lets out a wolf whistle (jk I have no idea how to do fricking acrobatics with my lips to be able to whistle)* Whew, is it just me or is it warm in here? }**

He turned to go, then turned back around.

"Wait, do you take geo?" Annika's heart flipped.

 _Be._ Casual. _This is an opportunity to show your intelligence._

"Yeah, I do. Why?" she replied with nonchalance. She tried not to get too lost into those smoldering, breathtaking, chocolate orbs as she looked back at him while she talked.

"I heard from one of your classmates that it's pretty difficult-"

"Who?"

Doug's mouth ( _Will I ever kiss that mouth?_ Annika wondered. _Agh! Stop! Bad thoughts! Bad thoughts!_ ) fought to not smile.

"Maggie. Although she doesn't seem to be the brightest bulb-"

"I beg your pardon?!"

Annika whirled around in horror to see Maggie standing near the corner of the hallway behind their conversation, hands on her hips and her eyes flashing with indignation.

" _Maggie!"_ Annika barely kept from shrieking. "Were you _eaves_ -?!" Maggie waved a hand dismissively and cut her off.

"Oh, calm yourself. And if you're going to be mad, get pissed at Megan, too." She turned her head to someone standing out of sight, and raised an eyebrow. " 'Cause she's also here."

It was like one of those movies where the situation just kept getting more and more mortifying. "Megan?!" Annika cried.

Two small eyes accompanied by a mop of hair, wisps of eyebrows, and tan skin peeped out from around the corner. "Uh . . . hi?" Megan squeaked.

"Oh, hey, Megan," Doug greeted. More of Megan's form popped out from around the corner and she waved a few fingers.

"Um, hi, Doug."

"Ok, past the salutations-" Maggie said loudly. She spun back to face Doug. "I will admit that perhaps my studying habits could be better and that my mouth runs before my brain, but _you_ didn't even know that girls could have voice cracks until a couple of weeks ago, Mister . . ." Maggie took an inhale that prepared for the rest of the rant. " ' _Oh, Mr. Vallo was such an easy teacher, I go to Biotech, bleh bleh bleh!'"_ Using a high, falsetto tone, she concluded the diatribe and crossed her arms, glaring at the entertained sophomore.

"Maggie, let's go," Megan whispered, tugging on Maggie's arm. Maggie smacked Megan's hand away without looking away from Doug. Megan sighed and leaned forward to whisper something in Maggie's ear. Maggie's eyes narrowed thoughtfully and she tapped a finger on her chin. "Fine," she said shortly. She grabbed Megan's arm and dragged her back down the hall they had appeared from.

" . . . your friends are certainly interesting," Doug murmured, and Annika could hear the humor bubbling in it.

"Yeah, no kidding," she said with exasperation, turning back to him, and massaging her temples. "Sorry about that. So, why do you ask about geo?" Doug shrugged again.

"Well, if you ever need any help, it's cool if you ask."

"Ask . . . _you_?" Annika almost had to hold the wall for support. Doug dipped his chin in a nod.

"Yeah, me," he said with a half-smile that Annika found to be rather sexy, in that subdued, brooding, mature way. "Later, annika489." He turned and walked, head far above everyone else's.

Annika watched him lope through the throng of middle schoolers to get to Mrs. Barth's class and then turn when the door was right beside him.

Then he looked back at her, and Annika's heart squeezed and started beating double time.

It skipped a beat entirely when the corner of his mouth quirked up to give another one of those brain-melting smirks that made her weak in the knees.

She was falling really damn hard.

And she knew it with certainty when he entered the room and her heart drooped sadly now that she couldn't see him.

She sighed.

"Why couldn't he have been a nerdy, klutzy, gangly loser?" Annika grumbled as she turned and walked to the end of the hall, about to turn the corner. "Why did he have to be this hot specimen of the Can variety?"

Just as she was about to turn, Maggie jumped out and grabbed her by the arms.

" _Ahhhhhh!"_ Annika bleated in terror.

" _You better fucking DM him, Annika Sharp! You better do iiiiiiiiit!"_ Maggie shrieked. Megan grabbed onto her as well and started jumping up and down.

"Stop! Stop! This is harassment! Guys! _Guys!_ "

They didn't stop.

It was still going on when Doug stepped out of the classroom and saw the commotion.

The sides of his mouth curled up and he chuckled.

Annika was still yelling at them to stop when he left Satz through the Honor door.


	3. Chapter 2: Doug1as

"What I don't understand," Maggie declared during lunch, scooping up some avocado and pausing the spoon a few inches from her lips in thought, "is why he would just follow you out of nowhere. Like, ok, _maybe_ you were in his suggested, but still . . . ." She ate the green glob of goodness and chewed it, scooping up some more. Annika sighed and rolled her eyes, not even bothering to jump in. They'd been doing this for approximately 20 minutes now, and Annika had stopped trying to put something in after the first 15.

Megan stroked her chin. "More importantly," she said slyly, winking at Annika, "how did you know out of the blue which one it was? You've only ever seen them, like, _thrice_."

"Did you just say _thrice_?" Maggie asked with disdain. Megan nodded.

"Like, you know, _twice_ , but three times-"

"Megan stop," Maggie interrupted, holding a palm up to her. "Don't use thrice ever again. Please. And-no! Close your mouth! Stop!" Megan snapped her mouth shut and pouted.

Annika gave an inward sigh and glanced behind her at the clock.

This was going to be a long-

"Annika!" Maggie's voice snapped at her, and Annika jerked out of her reverie. "Are you

paying attention?"

-period . . . .

She sighed again.

She chewed on her bottom lip, staring at the screen, thumb poised. All she had to do was bring it down, and then it would be done.

Of course, she wasn't just doing this because she wanted to talk to him. It was quite obvious that there was . . . well, something there. Someone doesn't just brush off a comment like the absolute most cringe ones she'd uttered during their encounter and keep talking to you; and then, offer to help you with geometry!

 _Like boi,_ Annika reasoned, _a guy doesn't just keep talking to you after you basically told him to his face that he was hot as a fire burning within my very soul._ Annika blushed profusely just as she thought of it. _He is sooooooooo hot. Let's not forget about those lips of his. They look_ as _soft as a cumulus cloud; maybe I can even kiss them one day . . . ok, why am I obsessing over this guy's lips so much?_

The cursor blinked sleepily as she read over and over what she'd typed.

 _Hey,_ doug1as. _What's up? So uh I actually have a band . . . we're performing on_ [insert legitimate date of when Annika will perform] _at_ [insert legitimate place of where Annika will perform] _. . . you wanna come?_

Wincing away from her phone and sucking in a deep breath, her thumb flashed quickly and she dropped it like it was a burning hot (hot as Douglas Can *wink*) coal.

"Aghhhhh!" she screamed, pacing manically in her room and shaking her arms around with nerves. " _Aghhhhhh!"_

 _Ding._

Annika froze mid arm shake and mid frantic pace (it rather looked like she had paused during a particularly violent seizure) and whipped her head around to look at her phone, which was now glowing with a new message. She pounced on it and saw that it was an DM from someone on Instagram.

Her chest almost exploded.

 _doug1as says . . ._

 _Going after what you want, huh, Annika?_

 _Ok i'll go to your band thing._

 _So is this a date then_

Annika's blood was thrumming so hard through her veins that it was painful. She felt light-headed and dizzy and slightly nauseous. Her stomach was a swirling pit of elation and terror, like the split second moment that you drop from the very top of a roller coaster and you want to die and fly at the same time.

 _Since you're asking, it seems clear to what_ you _want it to be_

 _how about you ask yourself_

 _;)_

She read her message over again.

"Bad idea to put the winky face there," she muttered.

Ding.

 _A date then._

In her room, Annika smiled, sighed, and flopped backwards onto her bed. A sense of calm contentment washed over her.

But in the Can household, Doug's impersonator was staring down at the screen of his brother's phone. He could hear Doug rummaging around the house, looking for it.

"Yo, have you seen my phone?" Doug's tall form appeared in the doorway and saw his twin holding it. "Derek, what are you doing?" Doug asked, slightly suspicious. He loped over to his brother to snatch his phone out of his hands when Derek leaned back, grinned, and tossed the phone to his twin. Doug caught it and read the screen. He went a little pale.

"Do you have the guts to tell her it was just your big brother, Doug?" Derek said evilly. Doug scowled at him.

 _I don't have to tell her it was you, Derek,_ Doug thought to himself as he turned away and scrolled through the DMs and Snaps.

 _Good thing you made the decision for me, Derek._


	4. Chapter 3: Hands

"Augh," Annika grumbled as they approached the steps to the church. "I'm going to regret this," she said under her breath.

"Told you," Maggie said breezily, walking ahead of her as Annika apprehensively followed.

"What?!" Annika exclaimed. "I have admitted nothing. What are you talking about?"

"I just heard you, dude," Maggie said, her back still to Annika. "Game over."

"Hey, Maggie," the tall Asian guy with glasses ( _But not Doug,_ Annika thought with relief and sadness) holding the door greeted. Maggie nodded in greeting to him.

"Whatsup, Frank?" she said, passing through the doors. Annika trailed behind her, smiling weakly to Frank. Surprise flitted in his eyes for a second then disappeared.

"Hello," he said politely.

"Hi . . . ." Annika said back.

"Uncomfortable yet?" Maggie asked, turning around and grinning at Annika.

Annika bit down on her tongue and chose to not respond.

Maggie went down a flight of stairs, then another, then turned and gestured towards an opening, echoes of voices and music reaching Annika's ears.

"Be my guest," she said casually. Annika's cheeks flushed.

"M—me first?" Annika asked uncertainly.

"Yep."

"But—"

"I insist."

"I can't—"

"Seriously. Go."

"I just don't—"

"Annika, go the fuck in." An edge entered Maggie's voice and Annika scowled, marched past her with her head held high, and—

Rammed face first into a solid, muscled chest. A second later that intoxicating scent filled her nose, making her dizzy and lightheaded.

"Nice. Geez, how long can you guys go without throwing yourselves at each other?" Maggie's voice broke through Annika's dreamy daze. She realized that she was once again staring up at those beautiful eyes and her cheeks got hot again.

"Hi," she squeaked. He smiled that devastating smile and Annika fought the urge to lean back against the wall and slide down it.

"Hey," he said.

"Alright, alright, get a room. I didn't bring her here for you, Doug. I brought her here to prove a petty point and that I am right and that she's wrong," Maggie said haughtily. She grabbed Annika by the arm and dragged her through another set of open doors where the (Asian) people were all standing around in groups. Annika's gaze darted for a fraction of a second back to Doug who was smirking. It darted away just as quickly.

"Maggie!" Annika hissed at her once they were out of hearing range. "You-"

"Shh," Maggie said calmly. "Later." Annika fumed silently.

For about two seconds.

"You lied-"

"Child hush," Maggie said, waving her off. "Oh, look, Charis! Erienne! Dude!"

Annika was pissed but Maggie was clearly not letting her talk about it right now.

 _Ugh, this sucks_ , Annika thought.

"I'm not going if Doug is going to be there," Annika had said the day before Joywok as she was sitting down in her seat at lunch. Annie tilted her head to the side, squinted at Annika in confusion, and held up her palm, shaking her head.

" _Why?"_ Annie said, annoyance tinging her tone. "That makes no sense."

"Yeah, for once, Annie is actually right," Maggie said, not looking up from her lunch as Annie gasped in outrage and started to splutter.

"Because . . . ugh, just because," Annika said exasperatedly, flipping her afro-I mean, dandelion hair-I mean, _just_ her hair.

"Awwww, is wittle Annika too faint-hearted to see Dougy?" Maggie said in a baby voice. She grinned.

"Awwwww!" Annie squealed. Annika's cheeks heated and she shot them both dirty looks. She pressed her lips together and then pursed them.

"Not gonna reply to that, huh?" Maggie laughed. She shrugged and then stabbed her dumplings and twirled the fork around. "It's cool, dude, they're not coming this week, they have some stupid basketball shit." Annika looked at her suspiciously.

"And how do you know that?"

Maggie rolled her eyes.

"Because they told me, worrywart," Maggie said. "Duh."

So Annika had come.

And Maggie had been lying.

"Big surprise," Annika muttered under her breath.

Annika was introduced to Charis and Erienne, saw Julie and Ashley and relaxed a bit. She

then had to stand up and introduce herself and somehow didn't pass out (especially with Doug's eyes on her). It was some guy named Chen's birthday, so when they all sat down in the folding chairs, they sang happy birthday and he got to choose the game that they played-

"Chen chooses Amoeba Tag!" the guy at the front of the stage with the microphone said cheerfully. "Okay, so Amoeba Tag starts off with two people linked, and they are the taggers. They go around tagging people, and if you're tagged, you have to link arms with them. When there are enough people linked, they'll split into two. Got it? Okay, everyone move their chairs."

So then everyone did that.

Two kids were picked to be the taggers. It was fun. Everyone was laughing, screeching, cheating, the usual.

The next game started up after everyone had been tagged.

Another two kids. The laughter, the screeching, the cheating, it was the same. Annika had stopped trying to follow Maggie a long time ago. She was just going with the flow.

She ended up getting tagged.

And then when the tall figure in his bright blue sweatshirt reached out a hand towards Annika, she realized that Doug had been tagged too.

Sparks fizzed, protons collided, universes skipped a beat as their fingertips touched, their atoms joining together in a conjoined human mass. Annika wasn't sure how hard she was blushing. She felt too joyfully numb to really feel or think anything.

 _Yeah, but he probably can, 'cause your hand is as frozen as a popsicle_ , a tiny voice whispered in her head.

The buzzing that Annika had been feeling vanished.

The game continued, Annika freaking about her hand the whole entire time.

In fact, she was so self-conscious about it that she didn't notice the glances that Doug kept sending her way. She was so anxious, in fact, that she let go of his hand immediately as soon as the game was over, and didn't even see how Doug gave her an even longer glance as she walked away. She didn't see as he flexed _his_ tingling hand.

Annika walked over to where Maggie was standing, a self-righteous smirk on her face.

"What?" Annika said in a defensive tone. She didn't even know what she was defending but that smirk on Maggie's face made her immediately wary.

Maggie raised an eyebrow and looked pointedly at someone behind Annika. Annika turned around to (finally!) see Doug looking at her. He instantly turned away and started to talk to someone. Annika's cheeks were already red from the physical exertion of the game, but they got even hotter (she'd blushed like six times already, and all because of one guy. Ugh, this sucked). She turned back around to find an even larger smirk on Maggie's face.

"Stop it," Annika muttered, secretly squealing with joy on the inside. Maggie laughed as she picked up her chair and walked it back into the middle of the room. Annika followed suit.

"Okay, Nik-niks, I see you!" Maggie winked and then laughed again.

Annika sighed.

But then smiled.

She felt euphoric.

Maybe she'd come to Joywok every week.


	5. Chapter 4: Confession

Doug tore off the hanging paper towel and dried his hand, throwing it over his shoulder as he walked out. He looked back to see if he made it.

"Score," he said under his breath.

He turned the corner and walked back towards the [whatever it's called, i forget what the room that Joywok happens in is called].

". . . the fuck in," a voice said viciously from the stairwell as he approached the doorway of it.

That haystack of hair appeared out of nowhere in the opening, and he bumped right into it.

His palms got a little bit sweatier. She was . . . here?

"Nice. Geez, how long can you guys go without throwing yourselves at each other?" Maggie's own blond hair popped up behind Annika's, and her comment sent color rushing to the latter's cheeks.

"Hi!" she said, her voice tinier and more nervous than the last time he'd heard it. He grinned at that.

She stared up at him with wide eyes.

"Hey," he murmured back, staring back down at her bright blue eyes. They felt uncomfortably piercing, like they were showing her every thought that he'd ever had and every thing that he'd ever felt.

It was electric.

"Alright, alright, get a room. I didn't bring her here for you, Doug. I brought her here to prove a petty point and that I am right and that she's wrong," Maggie snapped at him, and suddenly those aquamarine eyes were gone and he saw her puff of hair being dragged away from him.

He thought he saw her turning around for a second, but her hair made it too hard for him to tell.

He kind of liked it.

He didn't really pay attention to much. All he could really think of was her, and it was a relief to be able to not have to fight wanting to look at her when she stood up and introduced herself.

And then they played Amoeba Tag, and they got tagged at the same time, and then somehow . . .

They were . . . holding hands?

What?

He couldn't think clearly enough for his brain to tell him that he shouldn't stare at her.

Fingers intertwining, hands clasping tightly together.

He looked over to her to see a slightly nauseated and bewildered look on her face as she stared out into space, and he quickly looked away. Was she disgusted by the fact that she was holding his hand? His heart sank.

The same, freaked-out look was plastered on her face every time that he looked over at her (he couldn't help it, his eyes just kept drawing towards her).

A couple of minutes had passed and still and his hand still had electricity thrilling through it (the fact that her hand was as cold as ice didn't help either, though he didn't quite mind. If anything, it made the electrocution even more real). And when her hand finally left his, it darted through his fingers once more before dying.

She didn't even look back.

But he kept looking back at her.

He saw her walking over to Maggie.

He saw her turn around when Maggie sent him a look, and he did _not_ see the creeping of color that painted Annika's cheeks as she turned around.

He was too busy blushing a bit himself.

 _You like her,_ a tiny voice whispered to him. He ignored it.

But it kept going.

 _You like her._

 _You like her._

 _I like her_ , he thought, finally giving into that voice.

 _I like her._

 _I like her._

 _I like her._


End file.
